


Born to Run

by Icey_Cabbage



Category: Haikyuu!!, ハイパープロジェクション演劇「ハイキュー!!」| Hyper Projection Play "Haikyuu!!" RPF
Genre: Abusive Relationships, Bad Parenting, Character Study, Childhood Friends, Colors, F/M, Friends to Lovers, Haikyuu!! Manga Spoilers, I've always wanted to use that tag, Implied/Referenced Character Death, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, Introspection, Metaphors, Overuse of Colors, Platonic Relationships, Post-Timeskip Spoilers, Promises, Romance, Self-Harm, does this count as a character study?, no beta we die like men
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-02
Updated: 2020-12-02
Packaged: 2021-03-09 18:33:59
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,043
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27830821
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Icey_Cabbage/pseuds/Icey_Cabbage
Summary: This is the story of a purple girl who lives under a tyrant red mother and a boy who is crumbling with the pressure of his blackened family to conform to their beliefs.They were going to find their way out together.They were born to run.----Contains Post-Timeskip Spoilers!
Relationships: Hirugami Sachirou/Reader
Comments: 5
Kudos: 13





	Born to Run

**Author's Note:**

> Hello! Thank you for giving this little fic a chance. This is my first time posting on AO3. This isn't beta-read and I am too lazy and tired to proofread. 
> 
> Sorry in advance for the word vomit that is my thoughts you are about to read.
> 
> This was heavily inspired by "Born to Run" by Bruce Springsteen!
> 
> Uhh, please read with caution in case anything might trigger you.

Sachirou Hirugami was a shy child.

Despite growing up in a full household, filled with other children, all older than him, he never felt comfortable talking to those from outside his family.

He knew that there were children his age that lived on the street, went to the same school as him, and even shared the same class as him. But, he just couldn’t bring himself to go over and make friends.

He thought his family was enough, that he was enough.

One day, his mother came home in tears and proceeded to dress all her children in the color black.

Sachirou never liked the color black, or rather the shade of black. They drilled that into his head during art class, but he didn’t care.

Black was the absence of color. Black is the mysterious color that is filled with the unknown.

Sachirou hated the unknown. He needed an answer to everything. Every answer he was given by his parents or older siblings was always followed with a why. It annoyed his family to no end, but he had no intention of stopping.

Everything had an answer.

But, his father said that black also represents strength, seriousness, power, and authority.

Black is a formal, elegant, and prestigious color.

He didn’t know why he was wearing it to a funeral.

  
-

  
They first met when they were five. It was actually at her father’s funeral.

They were neighbors, so he had to attend seeing that his mother knew them.

Sachirou’s eyes met the neighbors for the first time.

Her eyes were captivating. It was as if she held the world in her twinkling eyes.

From then on, Sachirou decided that he was not going to hide from the stranger next door anymore.

-

He remembered feeling how her name flowed from his mouth for the first time after she introduced herself to him.

She had a beautiful name and he liked how it felt coming from his mouth.

He watched and listened as she said his given name from her lips, he felt oddly satisfied as his name came out.

She offered to lead him away from the chattering adults and older children.

Sachirou didn’t hesitate to take her hand.

The girl next door reminded him of the color purple.

The color purple combines the calm stability of blue and the fierce energy of red.

Purple is the color of royalty, nobility, luxury, power, and ambition.

It represents creativity, wisdom, dignity, devotion, peace, pride, mystery, independence, and even magic— although magic isn’t real, no matter how much they pretended it was.

The girl next door reminded him so much of the color purple.

Purple is dark and rich, a baritone sax bellowing jazz.

She became his escape from his chaotic household with her soft hands and soothing voice that led him away from his troubles.

No matter how small those troubles were.

She moved with all the grace a five-year-old can have as she swung from the swings to the wood chips that covered the ground at the park nearby.

She led him through the bushes, catching the summertime cicadas that were scattered around.

She led him through the cold creek that was flowing beside the park.

He was the one who led her back to their houses so he could show her how to play volleyball, just like his father and older siblings had done for him.

–

At age ten, Sachirou and the girl next door sat side by side on the swing set that was in the same park they frequently visited.

He watched helplessly as she put some stolen plasters from the local convenience store on her fresh wounds.

He asked where she got them from and she simply shrugged and said from her mother, then proceeded to go on a mini tangent about how her mother is the worst, though she never stated why she got hurt.

Her wounds were red.

Red is the color of extremes.

It is the color of passionate love, violence, danger, anger, and adventure.

Red is the color of fire and blood.

The color that was currently decorating his best friend’s skin.

Sachirou didn’t like it.

Parents don’t give their children wounds that bad out of passionate love or adventure- so that really left violence and anger.

What was her mother angry about?

The girl next door is probably the most perfect person on earth to Sachirou.

Everything about her mother screamed danger to Sachirou, even to the point where he made himself scarce whenever he went to knock for his friend.

Sachirou didn’t like the color red. More than he didn’t like the shade of black.

Her mother reminded him of the color red.

So, he didn’t like her mother.

With a quick snap from his friend, Sachirou was removed from his thoughts and turned to face the girl beside him.

She wore a stupid grin on her face and held out her fist to him.

He automatically bumped his fist against hers.

_Thank you._

He didn’t know why she thanked him. He didn’t do anything to help besides cover her body so she could successfully steal the plasters.

He didn’t even get a chance to help her fix herself up, only sat not he swing beside her and barely listened.

Sachirou did not ask this time. He wasn’t sure if he wanted to know the answer.

All he knew is that he didn’t want to see the color red on her skin again.

But, it’s a hard world that constantly asks you to live with a lot of things that are unlivable.

-

Ever since her father’s funeral, it became a mini ritual for the duo to go to the park and play by the creek.

It becomes their escape from the clutches of their families.

From the color red and the shade of black that tied them down.

One last vestige of freedom, the one place they can break the rules and feel like individuals rather than conforming to the thoughts and ideals of their parents.

The creek reminded Sachiro of the color blue.

Blue is the color of the sky and sea.

It is depth and stability.

Blue symbolizes trust, loyalty, wisdom, confidence, intelligence, faith, truth, and even heaven.

The creek was the place where they can be themselves and trust that it won’t spill their secret words to their families.

As they dipped their feet in the crystal blue waters of the creek, they lifted their heads to the sky to bask in the warmth of the sun.

The sun was a broad myriad of hot glowing gases at the heart of the solar system that the human race lived in.

It made him feel so small in a comforting way.

Like his problems were so… minuscule.

When he brought this up to his friend, whose skin was still littered with the color red, she gave him a hearty chuckle, and wholeheartedly agreed.

Just remember to never compare your problems with other peoples. Your problems are your own. Don’t negate the fact your pain is real.

He brought his head down to meet her gaze.

Sachirou found himself stuck in her mesmerizing eyes once more.

After a few moments, he reminds her to take her own advice.

They left the creek and took the trek back to their homes.

Back to the colors of black and red that controlled their lives.

-

At age 14, Sachirou offers to run away with the girl next door.

Instead of immediately accepting or declining, she asked why. Just like he did— still does.

The color black was suffocating him— slowly but surely.

He was struggling to make decisions by himself, he felt his anxiety taking over, his overactive mind went racing most times, and the one thing that he was supposed to love felt like chains weighing him down.

He felt like he went too deep, deep into the ocean. He is kicking and trying to keep himself afloat, and it’s hard to breathe, but he is just trying to keep his head over the surface.

He wasn’t the best with putting his thoughts into viable words, but he could tell that she understood him enough.

She responded by telling him to remember that he can just float.

It sounded like a simple solution, but he would feel like he is drifting, all alone.

Despite what he thought in his earlier years, Sachirou did not want to be alone anymore.

She reminded him that he would never be alone while she was around.

_A lack of communication is a form of pain. Because to be alive, to be human, we need others. We don’t need just to be seen, to be perceived: we need to be listened to too._

She didn’t want him in pain. Yet, as he looked at the various shades of red that were scattered across her skin, he felt his heart clench painfully.

He wanted to call her a hypocrite. He wanted to just yell at her for being stupid and not relying on him as he relied on her.

He just wanted his only friend to be okay.

His plans of running away were put in the back of his mind for now.

-

Sachirou had to walk home alone on a certain day because his friend was needed by teachers.

It definitely gave him time to think with his overactive mind.

Sachirou’s family is a volleyball family through and through.

His parents, brothers, and sisters all went to famous schools.

Due to his family’s influence, he started the sport as well, thinking he’d become a player who could stand on the world stage.

It was a child’s dream, yet it was real life for a few in his family.

Sachirou was blessed with a good physique and dexterity, so he had fun playing. 

Volleyball was the flicker of white in the darkness of his family.

He never hesitated to go to the middle school with the strongest team.

He wanted to get better.

He wanted to spike it in.

He wanted to get aces.

He wanted to have good receives.

Everything is connected in volleyball.

His life became volleyball.

Sachiruo’s only escape was the girl next door.

She was the thing that let him keep his sanity.

The pressure of his family to not screw up, to not lose overgrew everything else.

There only became one explanation for not getting results, and that is not working hard enough.

Corners should not be cut.

And what used to be the white to his black life, slowly turned grey. It slowly but surely kept growing darker.

Everything is connected in volleyball.

Sachirou got frustrated at his mistakes.

He got annoyed with the connected mistakes.

He looked down at his calloused hand and pictured the red that was stained to his friend’s skin.

He pressed his hand against the stone wall that went along with the sidewalk and roughly dragged his knuckles across the stone, leaving a trail of red behind.

He didn’t stop until someone- now his second friend- Kourai Hoshiumi, roughly tugged his backpack away from the wall, thus moving him as well.

Kourai was on the same team as him.

Kourai was a ball of orange.

Orange is a combination of yellow and red and is considered an energetic color.

Orange calls to mind feelings of excitement, enthusiasm, and warmth.

Orange draws attention.

Kourai draws attention.

Kourai is the color orange just as the girl next door is the color purple, and just like the girl next door’s mother is the color red.

Having the human embodiment of the color orange cringe at his now reddened hand made the thoughts that were rested in his mind come forward.

Salty tears went down his face and he finally admitted that the thing that used to be white is now black.

It felt nice to talk with a new person that wasn’t the purple girl next door.

The orange person had such a straightforward way of thinking that Sachirou couldn’t help but follow along.

That maybe he just had his fill.

It’s not like that all the muscle he built up will just vanish just because he wanted to quit.

You can always quit.

Sachiruo’s new friend (color) left it at that after he was satisfied that the red on Sachirou’s hand wouldn’t grow any larger.

The girl next door’s previous words made sense to him now.

The black and the unknown didn’t seem as suffocating now.

-

Sachirou draped a blanket over their shoulders as they sat side by side on a dry log, letting their feet dangle in the crystal blue waters of the creek.

He spoke to her about what transpired when he met the color orange just the other day.

She scolded him for the red that now stained his knuckles.

But she praised him for learning that it was okay to just stop.

He smiled down at the girl beside him and watched as she took his reddened hand in hers as if she could erase it from his skin.

Sachirou asked her what she wanted to do in the future.

The girl only looked up at the sky as if it would give her the answer.

She answered him with a shrug before turning the question around on him.

Sachirou pursed his lips and looked in front of them, staring at the vibrant green trees that surrounded them.

Green.

Green is the color of life.

Green is the color of renewal, nature, and energy.

It is associated with meanings of growth, harmony, freshness, safety, and environment.

It is the color that helps alleviate anxiety, depression, and nervousness.

Maybe that’s why he felt his heart rest as he turned back to her with his answer.

Sachirou always liked animals.

Animals are said to help lower blood pressure, reduce anxiety, and decrease depression.

Interacting with animals increases levels of the hormone oxytocin.

Oxytocin is known as the ‘love hormone’ or ‘cuddle chemical’ because it is shown to be an important factor in human behaviors including recognition, trust, and anxiety.

Animals reminded Sachirou of the color green.

Green was one of Sachirou’s favorite colors.

Animals were one of Sachirou’s favorite things.

Animals were green, just as Kourai was orange, the girl next door was purple, and her mother is red.

A veterinarian.

That’s what he will do.

No more volleyball.

No more blackness from his family.

The sport of volleyball, which used to be black, slowly grew lighter, from black to grey.

Now all he has to do is figure out how to erase the red that was on his friend’s skin.

–

At age 16, Sachirou Hirugami finally stood up for what he wanted.

After he had been thoroughly convinced by the color orange and the color purple, Sachirou confronted his blackened family about the matter.

His parents were disappointed, yet Sachirou couldn’t find it in himself to care about it.

His lack of concern overpowered the disappointment of his parents.

After an awkward dinner that night, Sachirou whisked the girl next door away to the creek so he could spill everything that was bottled inside.

He immediately frowned once he saw the harsh red that was battered along her skin.

He used the freshwater from the creek to rinse off the very fresh red wounds.

Sachirou released the thoughts he has been thinking about for the last ten years of his life.

He finally burst out and called her a hypocrite.

He asked why she never relied on him the way he relied on her.

He grabbed purple by the wrist and tugged her into his body, wrapped her up in his arms.

Sachirou watched as tears came down from her eyes.

That moment reminded him of the color dark blue.

Dark blue represents integrity, knowledge, power, and seriousness.

Importance, confidence, and authority.

A color that reminded him of black, but it's not quite there.

The seriousness of the world around them.

The power that their families held over them.

The newfound knowledge on how to break the chains that tethered them to the ground.

The importance of each other’s presence and how they fixed each other.

Two people trying to find the way home.

They wanted to run with each other and never stop.

A purple girl who lives under a tyrant red mother, and a boy who is crumbling with the pressure of his blackened family to conform to their beliefs.

They were going to find their way out together.

_They were born to run._

-

Pink represents joy, sexuality, passion, sensitivity, and love.

Pink signifies romance and friendship.

Pink is what Sachirou felt once he recognized his feelings towards the girl next door.

Pink is what was shown on his face when he talked to Kourai about his feelings towards his best friend.

Pink went well with purple.

Orange stood by the side and watched as pink and purple fell into a nice magenta.

Love is a quiet emotion that in time becomes part of the oxygen you need to breathe, and so though you may not be sure that it’s there, any form of removal and the emotions begin to choke.

Love is what Sachirou felt towards the purple in his life.

He didn’t really know when it started, but infatuation turned into a deep yearning and that turned into a burning passion of pure unadulterated love.

Meeting her was fate, being her friend was a choice, and falling in love was bound to happen.

Purple was the one who painted his world with the colors he loved so much.

Purple was the one who keeps him shielded, defending him from the brutality.

Purple was the one he would die a thousand times over for.

He feels her pain raging in his soul, and it turns the red in his veins to a nice light pink.

The blue helped him and purple come together.

Sachirou chose purple.

And now as he explained his feelings towards purple, purple chose him.

-

Sachirou planned to go to University in Tokyo.

Tokyo was far from Nagano, where they lived.

245.5 kilometers or 152.5 miles to be precise.

Tokyo would be their new creek, their new blue.

As said before, blue represents freedom, justice, perseverance, vigilance, peace, prosperity, and patriotism.

Tokyo would be all those things to them once they leave high school.

Tokyo would also represent green.

Green is the color of life, renewal, nature, and energy.

Growth, harmony, freshness, safety.

Tokyo would become blue-green.

Tokyo is the renewal of their lives and the newfound freedom they would get once they left Nagano.

Purple wanted to be a writer.

She would go to school in Tokyo and work for a degree in English and Journalism.

Sachirou would work for a degree in Medicine.

They would work with each other to accomplish their dreams.

Sachirou thought purple would be a great writer. She had a way with words that just made them stick in his brain.

Her words reminded him of the color yellow.

Yellow is exciting without being loud or angry.

It is a warm, soft color, like a baby chick, or the warmth of sunlight in springtime streaming through a window, warming up a patch on the carpet.

If her words were a physical thing, he would ask if he could sit near them on a cold day.

Yellow is the color that stands for wisdom, intellect, logic, memory, concentration, will-power, and communication.

Her words matched her very well.

Purple goes well with yellow after all.

Sachirou would need her yellow words to get him through life.

He would take purple and her yellow words to the place where blue and green shine most.

He would take them both away from the red and black that suffocated them for so long.

He would run with purple until he dropped.

They would never look back.

-

At the age of 18, Sachiro and the girl next door sat side by side on the brown log that was by their creek.

The little promise in his pocket felt very heavy as he traced it through his pants.

He eyed the red that was still on purple’s skin.

It was getting smaller, but it was still there nonetheless.

Purple eyed him because he was so quiet.

He shakily grabbed her hand and opened it gently.

He placed the promise that was in his pocket into her hand and turned his head so he wouldn’t have to see her reaction.

Purple grinned up at him and grabbed his chin, tenderly forcing him to face her.

Her twinkling eyes were filled with tears, not the sad kind, but the happy kind.

She slid the ring on her finger and admired the tiny amazonite jewel that sat so neatly on top of it.

Amazonite was a blue-green stone that represents truth, honor, integrity, hope, and trust.

The stone is said to provide comfort after an emotional upset.

Sachirou hoped he could be amazonite to his purple.

Purple reassured him that he was more than just amazonite to her.

Purple said he was everything to her.

He silently agreed that purple was everything to him as well.

That day, Sachirou promised himself to purple, and purple promised herself to him.

He had to thank the human personified version of the color orange for helping him pick out the promise for his purple.

-

March; the season of goodbyes.

In Japan, the school year ends in March and begins in April.

The loneliness of saying goodbye and hope for a new start begins in March.

Sachirou associated the month of March with Aquamarine.

Aquamarine has an affinity with sensitive people.

It invokes tolerance of others and overcomes judgmentalism, giving support to those overwhelmed by responsibility.

It was one of Sachirou’s favorite colors.

Sachirou got together with his purple and orange.

He didn’t waste time and immediately gave the second button of his uniform to purple.

It was a tradition for lovers to give the 2nd button of their school uniform to their loved one as a memento.

Purple was his loved one, so it only made sense.

Kourai laughed at the pink that dusted their cheeks, only for them to turn around and laugh at him once a girl strolled up to him and blatantly asked for his number.

Kourai was going to Tokyo as well.

Kourai was not going to college.

Kourai got offered a position on a Division 1 professional volleyball team in the V-Leagues.

The Schweiden Adlers.

That team has the colors white, orange, and dark blue.

Sachirou thought it suited his friend very well.

Kourai would fly to tremendous heights on that team while Sachiro and purple worked their brains into dust in college.

Kourai threatened to kill them both if they didn’t stay in contact despite going to the same city.

Kourai wasn’t simply a good friend. He was the orange that became a part of Sachirou’s soul, just as purple had.

Purple and orange complimented each other well. Just like purple and yellow.

Purple and orange were the colors that dominated his life now.

Orange is the wind that howls and purple is the gentle center of the storm.

Purple and orange gave consistent love, patience, and warmth to Sachirou.

Purple and orange kept him bound yet free, they let him fly yet kept him grounded, they made him drunk in laughter yet kept him sober.

Orange is the intense, glamorous sparks of fire and hot energy.

Orange is leaving the windows down on a car, and having the radio is on so loud that your ears are bleeding.

Orange doesn’t notice the speed limit, yet they still have a clean driving record.

Purple is the soothing, serene sounds of chatting, venting, and laughing.

Purple let him spend hours on end just being himself. No mask was needed to hide behind. Not a mask of happiness, not a mask of coping, just himself. He could be honest and get heartfelt advice.

After all, purple and orange compliment each other.

And March is the season of goodbyes.

Goodbye to the black and red and clouded their lives.

Goodbye to the red that stained purple’s skin.

Goodbye to the black who drove their son to the point of self-harm.

Goodbye volleyball.

Goodbye Nagano.

_END_

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for reading!


End file.
